Ch.10: The Beginning of the Journey (Part 1)

192 6 3
                                    

"Hmm... how much food is left in the house?" Yuto asked.

"Um... I would say at most for two more days if you eat like a normal human," Claire replied, turning precipitously to Yuto and glaring at him frowningly. "Don't you dare say that hunger is the enemy."

Yuto grunted annoyed. It wasn't his fault that he had a certain type of metabolism. And after he got the dragon seed from Auros, his hunger increased further. If nothing else, he had discovered he could do unique things that his mother would dream such as eating impossible things like the stars.

"How much money do we have left?" Claire asked.

"Um... we had to buy skins and salt." Yuto turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "If you had let me use hypnosis, I would have bought them for free."

"That is a robbery!" Claire growled.

Yuto folded his arms across his chest as he tried to think about what to do. It was almost autumn and they had to start preparing for winter. The house where they lived was enchanted. While the exterior was that of a shack, the interior had been made similar to Emiya mansion's main building, including heating, and protected by a bounded field that kept outsiders away.

"Don't try too hard to think," Claire said jokingly. "I hear there's a tournament soon. The king will grant anything to the winner."

"What kind of tournament?" Yuto asked.

"Fencing. I think," Claire said in an uncertain tone, before turning a confident smile. "You've practised swordsmanship with Merlin over the years and you have the strength of a dragon, not to mention that you're a sniper."

The odds of his winning were around 100%.

"You win and ask the king for a cow. Then we will decide whether to butcher it for meat or sell it for money," Claire suggested.

Yuto sighed defeated.

Yuto had no better ideas and, considering that winter was coming, every opportunity was useful to survive. The winters were not very cold, however, the animals went into hibernation and hunting prey became difficult.

"Rather, why do they organize a tournament?" Claire asked.

"I suppose to fill the days," Yuto replied, fastening his boots. "There is this unwritten rule that war should not be fought during winters. Many rulers use this to procreate or reorganize their armies so that they are prepared when spring comes."

"In practice, there will never be peace." Claire showed a painful expression at the idea that a possible war could break out at any moment. "I don't want to lose my house again."

She wouldn't lose it. Yuto wouldn't let their serenity be stolen again.

"I guess we need requirements to participate." Yuto finished adjusting his boots and put on his coat. " Let's find Merlin and see if he can help us."

--------------------

Life in a world that was comparable to the Middle Ages of the Earth was not easy. The men got up at the crowing of the rooster and spent their days breaking their backs working the fields for the local nobleman who ruled locally in the name of the King. And not everyone was good, as was the king of the kingdom where Yuto and Claire lived.

The social inequality was clear. The common people lived in makeshift houses, mainly built of wood, while the aristocrats lived beyond the first wall, the one that separated the barrio from the illustrious neighbourhood.

Trying to attract as little attention as possible, Yuto and Claire reached a house in the infamous neighbourhood, often frequented by killers, drug addicts and whores.

King of DragonsWhere stories live. Discover now